Bridge to the Past
by iWrite95
Summary: New neighbors have moved in next door, and Jess doesnt like it. In a fit of greif and rage, Jess runs to Terabithia, where he will discover something he never knew about his and Leslie's kingdom... a little Jess/Leslie!
1. New Neighbors

**A/N: This is based on both the book and the movie! So some parts will correspond with the movie and some with the book!**

**Anywayz.. I absolutely love the characters of Jess and Leslie and I hated it that Leslie died. So I made a way for Jess to get her back through, you guessed it, Terabithia! I know the whole "Jess goes back in time to save Leslie" concept is used a lot but it's a good idea so I say What the Hell! Let's have some fun!**

**So, I know that long author's notes usually get ignored and now that my rant is over—**

**Voice in back of head: You forgot the disclaimer!**

**Me: Ooppsss… well, they should know!**

**Voice: What if they don't? you don't wanna get sued do you?**

**Me: Noo….**

**Voice: So do it!**

**Me: OKAY! Shut up!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS JESS AND LESLIE NOR TERABITHIA! THEY BELONG TO KATHERINE PATERSON! I only own PARTS of the plot!**

**Okay, now, finally, on with the story!**

Chapter One: New Neighbors

Jess's PoV

Jess sighed. The lunch room around him was full of chattering and laughing kids, but he was alone. No one dared sit next to him. He was the weirdo whose best friend had died.

It had been five years since Leslie Burke's death. Jess still wasn't okay with it. it felt like when Leslie died, she had taken every emotion he had except anger and hurt.

He sighed, swirling the cafeteria food, if it could be called that, around on his tray. Scott Hoager walked behind him and leaned down.

"Beep, beepbeepbeepbeep!" he whispered in Jess's ear as he passed. Jess's eyes narrowed. He remembered how Leslie had created scroagers in Terabithia. He wished he could punch Scott Hoager like he'd punched that scroager so many years ago.

He still visited Terabithia with May Belle. He felt closer to Leslie in the kingdom that they had created together.

And May Belle had added her own touch to Terabithia, as well. She had become ruler over the years, because he, Jess, didn't feel right ruling without his queen. May Belle, even though she was now 11, loved Terabithia, so Jess was content to sit back and let his little sister rule.

The lunch period ended, and the rest of the day passed.

When he got off the bus, May Belle was waiting for him. It was winter, so she had her thick winter coat and boots on. Her chocolate brown eyes, the same color as his own, were smiling with anticipation and her straight brown hair was braided back.

"Jess, are we goin' to Terabithia?" she asked. He nodded and she clapped her mittened hands.

They began walking towards the woods. Jess, as he often did, glanced at the Burke's old place as they passed.

He stopped.

"What is it, Jess?" May Belle had continued walking, but now she came back to stand next to him. May Belle peered around the tree that was blocking her view. She gasped.

Jess just stared numbly at the U-Haul truck in the drive way.

**Soo? Was it good?**

**If it was, tell me! theres a review button right there!**

**Voice: They can see that…**

**Me: You, shut up.**

**Voice: Just saying…**

**Me: I'm ignoring you.**

**Anywayz, please review!**


	2. I wish you were here

**A/N: AHHH! FINALLY! I've had this written since before I posted the first chapter and I'm finally getting around to typing it. **

**Hopefully, this chapter's length is more to you guy's liking, since I noticed the shortness of the first one was not very popular. If it's not, sorry! I'm more of a short chapter kind of girl, so I'll try to work on it! I also have a tendency for cliff hangers, and I hate it when people do that to me, so I shall try very hard to avoid them on this!**

**And before that annoying Voice can chime in: DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS OF JESS AND LESLIE NOR DO I OWN THE CONCEPT OF TERABITHIA! I only own PARTS of the plot!**

**Now, on with the story…**

Chapter Two: I wish you were here

Jess stormed into his house, May Belle trailing after him.

"Jess! May Belle!" His parents were sitting in their living room, and they weren't alone.

"Jess, May Belle, meet the Dixons. They just moved in next door," his mother chirped. His father was smiling slightly.

The family sitting in their living room grinned in unison. There was a mother, a father, and a girl of about fifteen. The mother had black hair so dark it looked blue, and blue eyes, while the father was a red head, with green eyes. The daughter was a perfect mixture of the two, with her mother's black hair and her father's green eyes. Jess glared at them.

The girl hopped up, extending her hand, and came over to him.

"Annasophia Dixon," she said. She pronounced the 'A' in 'Annasophia' like the 'a' in 'all.' Jess just stared, his gaze flicking between hers and her outstretched hand. Annasophia's grin faded, and she let her hand drop. Jess's parents stared at him, in shock at his rudeness. Without a second glance at any of them, he left the room, stomping up the stairs. Behind him, he could hear May Belle doing exactly what he hadn't: Smiling, being polite. Introducing herself. Being the good kid his parents had expected him to be.

He flung himself onto his bed, grabbing his old sketch book. He flipped angrily through the pages until he reached the one he had drawn right after Leslie died.

It was of her, and she was looking at him, smiling. Her hands rested on the windowsill of a window in the treehouse in Terabithia. Jess had drawn it so that she wore a tiara in her short blonde hair, and a medieval type blue dress. The dress had quarter sleeves that stretched to the floor and a high waist with a sash. It was the color of her eyes. Across the bottom it said, "All Hail, Leslie Burke, Queen of Terabithia."

Jess ripped the picture out and got up to leave. But his father blocked the doorway to his room.

"Jesse Oliver Aarons, Jr. I can't believe you did that!" he said. His father pitched his voice low, so it would not carry through the thin walls.

"What did you expect, Dad?"Jess demanded. He did not bother to keep his voice low. "That I'd be all 'gung ho!' about people moving into Leslie's house?"

His father shook his head. "No, I expected you to be polite."

Jess sneered. "Well, forget it!"

Normally, he would not be so disrespectful to his dad. But right at the moment, Jess was too angry to care. He pushed past is father into the hallway. He ran, down the stairs and out the door, and he didn't stop. He kept going, going, going, until he had run across the bridge to Terabithia, and to the treehouse.

There, he braced his hands against his knees. By now, he had tears running down his face. Jess sat beneath the tree and sobbed.

"Leslie!" he shouted at the sky, "Why'd you have to go an' die, huh? Why?"

Jess dropped his face into his arms, weeping harder now for his best friend. He hadn't cried this hard since she had died, instead going about his life in a numb state. Now, the pain and longing her felt for his best friend crashed down on him full force, forcing him to keen and ball in a way that would get him teased for the rest of his life.

"Do not weep, Lord King."

He looked up to find one of the creatures of Terabithia, a faery, holding the drawing of Leslie and watching him. She was his height, with a small blue dress on. Her hair was blue as well, as were her eyes. She glittered faintly in the afternoon sunlight that filtered through the tree canopy.

"Go away!" he said harshly. He angrily swiped at his eyes.

The faery blinked. "I am sorry, Lord King. I only meant to comfort."

Jess felt guilty. The creature wanted to help, and he was being rude.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"Accepted, Lord King," the faery fluttered its wings.

"I just… wish she were here," he told it, nodding at the Leslie in the drawing. He sniffled, wiping his nose. The faery looked down at it.

"Ah, the old Lady Queen," it mused, "Do not fret, Lord King. For there is a way to get her back."

Jess had rested his head against his knees again, but now it shot up. "There is?"

The faery nodded. "Yes, Fae magic is very powerful, Lord King."

"Can you, like, send me back?" Jess sat up and stared the faery in the face. "Can I fix it?"

"Yes, Lord King, but be warned. It is very tricky, and anything can happen."

But Jess wasn't paying attention. All he could think about was that there was a chance he could have Leslie back. "How does it work?"

The faery shifted. "It is a very powerful spell that will send you back to that day. Once there, you will have twenty-four hours to fix your wrong and get back to this time, else you will be stuck."

Jess thought about this. "But, what about the me that actually belongs there?"

"He doesn't exist. He is a part of you, and you are a part of him."

"So… I'll be ten again?"

The faery nodded gravely. Jess felt excitement boiling in his stomach.

"Alright! Let's go!"

He tried to jump up, but the faery stopped him. "It is not that simple, Lord King. I will need time to prepare."

Jess felt his face fall. "Oh," he mumbled. No Leslie today. He felt a hand on his face.

"Do not fret, Lord King," the faery repeated, "Come to Terabithia tomorrow and your journey will begin."

She gently handed the drawing back to Jess. "Now, I must prepare, and you, Lord King, must sleep."

And, with that, she began to fade back into the forest, towards the river. As he watched her, a thought struck him, and Jess called, "Wait! What's your name?"

Just before she disappeared, the faery's voice whispered, clear as day, "Nerida, Lord King."

"Nerida," he repeated. He looked down at the hand drawn Leslie. He sighed and folded it, tucking it into his pocket. It was getting dark now. Jess had been sitting under the tree longer than he thought. His parents would be expecting him for dinner.

This time, Jess didn't run. He walked, a new spring in his step. There was a chance he could have Leslie back!

By the time he walked in the door, he had a broad smile on his face. His mother looked up from the cooking as the door slammed.

Noticing his smile, she said, "Well. Someone's cheered up." Her tone was biting; she was still upset about the Dixons earlier. Whatever she was feeling, she didn't mention it.

Jess just shrugged, and ran to his room.

As he shut the door, his mother yelled, "Dinner in ten minutes, Jesse!"

"Alright, Ma!" he called back, and turned to survey his room. In the last five years Brenda and Ellie had moved out; Ellie to college and Brenda had gotten married. So Jess had his own room while May Belle and Joyce Anne still had to share.

Jess loved having his own room, with his own space, and it showed. He had dedicated an entire wall to drawings of Terabithia. There were squogers, trolls, faeries, everything. But the drawings he did of Leslie, like the one still in his pocket, he kept tucked away in a sketch pad in his drawer, and sometimes under his pillow. Jess didn't want his family to see them, because then they'd tell him to get over her, and he didn't want to.

He pulled the drawing from his pocket, and sat on the bed. Looking at the picture, he decided to write down the events of that day. He picked up a pen, and, flipping the picture over, wrote:

Miss Edmonds invites me to Washington

I go

I get home & find out Leslie's dead

I run to Terabithia and find the rope

"Jess-_ee!_ Dinner!" his mother yells. Jess sets the drawing aside and goes to eat.

When he gets back, Jess gets ready for bed. And right before he falls asleep, he runs his fingers across the drawing of Leslie, trailing them across the face. Wishing it were more than a picture, he whispers, "I'm coming, Leslie."

Then, he slipped easily into unconsciousness.

**A/N: So, if you liked it, drop me a review, please!**

**Oh, I thought this was kinda cool: Nerida means 'Sea Nymph' in Greek, and the faery Nerida lives in the river, plus she's all blue and stuff... see?**

**Anywayz, hope you liked it!**


	3. Wrong

**A/N: okay, finally, I am updating. Sorry for taking so long, but I am a lazy bum and haven't felt like typing… again im sorry! Anyway, after reading my reviews, then re-reading the first two chapters, I realized that Penguinboy2 is right: its not very detailed. I'm trying to work on that, but I don't want to pelt you with unnecessary and long descriptions, plus I don't know if I have the attention span for that, so bear with me. it would help if you'd rate me on a scale from 1-10 on my detail content. (1 being not enough, 10 being too much, and 5 being just right)**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS OF JESS AND LESLIE NOR DO I OWN THE CONCEPT OF TERABITHIA! I only own PARTS of the plot!**

**So, that said, heres chapter 3, hope you like it, and please, please, PLEASE review!**

Chapter three: Wrong

Jess PoV

The next morning, Jess woke up with the same high spirits as the night before. He dressed in a long sleeve t-shirt and jeans, and went downstairs to eat breakfast. His mother had made pancakes, bacon, and eggs, as usual. After eating his weight in pancakes, he downed a cup of orange juice and ran to catch the bus, all the while in a sort of dreamy stupor. Out of everyone in his family, May Belle was the only one to notice his out-of-this-world expression. But she didn't ask, just her head and rolled her eyes.

Jess floated through the school day, not paying attention to his lessons, anyone, or anything. He didn't even bristle when Scott Hoager and Gary Fulcher taunted him at lunch and between classes.

And when the bus stopped at his stop at the end of the day, a huge anticipating grin, one that hasn't been seen on his face in five years, had his lips pulling back to each ear.

May Belle was waiting for him like she usually did. When she took in his face, her one turned wary.

"Terabithia…?" she hedged. Jess's smile dimmed a bit. Should he tell his little sister about his plan to save Leslie? She could help… But no, he didn't want her to come along. She could cover for him at home…

"Yes," he said, deciding spur of the moment, "May Belle, I need you to do something for me. I need you to cover for me at home."

"Cover for you?" Her brow furrowed, forming a dent between her eyes. Jess grabbed her arm, and began tugging her towards the bridge, explaining as he went:

"Yesterday, in Terabithia, I was sitting under the treehouse, crying, when a faery found me. she told me that she knew a spell that would send me back in time, back to the day Leslie died, and I could save her. She also said it was very risky and if I didn't time the entire day just right, I would fail and be stuck to repeat the past five years. But, May Belle, I've got to try."

They were crossing the bridge, and she pulled him to a stop. "So, you're going back to the day Leslie died to save her?"

He nodded, and looked over his shoulder at the Terabithia side of the bridge. They were standing in the middle, and he tried to continue walking, but May Belle held firm and pulled him back.

"And you want me to cover for you with mom and dad?"

Again, he nodded. May Belle watched him with searching eyes, but he didn't notice. He was too busy staring wistfully at Terabithia.

"Jess, who's this faery?"

Now he looked at her. He shrugged, saying, "I don't know. Said her name was Nerida."

She looked at her older brother as if he were the dumbest boy alive. "And you're going to waltz blindly into this, not knowing anything about this faery or what her motives could be?"

Jess stared at her blankly. "What could her motives be, May Belle?"

May Belle shrugged. "I don't know! She could be planning to kill you or something!"

Jess cocked an eyebrow and said, "Oh, yes, I'm so sure she's planning to kill me."

The eleven year old girl glared and crossed her arms. She knew her brother was probably right, but she still didn't want to see him hurt. And dancing into this nut-job scheme without planning or anything beforehand was not the way to keep him safe. She sighed. She was smart for an eleven year old, and she knew that nothing she could say would talk Jess out of this. And obviously physical restraint was out of the question.

"Alright, fine. I'll help," she ground out through gritted teeth. "But if I am right, don't come crying to me!"

Jess hugged her and laughed, "If you're right, I won't be alive _to_ cry."

May Belle grumbled, and followed Jess, who was already in Terabithia. She seriously hoped she was wrong.

**Sorry its so short! I had more written, but I started editing and then… this happened haha. Now I need to decide if I want May Belle to be right, or wrong. I think right. But Jess will still need to go back in time with the spell… hmm… suggestions?**


	4. Desperation

**A/N: Okay, so pretty much right after I decided to put this story on hiatus, my writer's block just evaporated and everything began to click together in my head. So, here is chapter four! I hope you like it and that it isn't too bad! And the detail scale thing I said in earlier A/N's still stands so please review and tell me what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

Chapter 4: Desperation

May Belle's PoV:

May Belle trailed behind her brother, deep in thought. She didn't have long to think, because he was practically flying through the forest, yet he was still walking. May Belle had trouble keeping up, and she stumbled frequently, trying. She knew, though, that if she had not been there, he would have been running flat out.

Once, she stumbled and a gold chain that held a locket around her neck swung forward. She clutched it back towards her, half for the balance she knew the thing could not give her and half so that it would not bang against her abdomen.

Wait. The locket…

The locket… The LOCKET! FOSTER!

The eleven year old's brown eyes widened and her mouth made a round _O_. Foster was her faery advisor, and good friend, and he had given her the golden locket so she could contact him whenever she needed. And, as far as she knew, it would work anywhere, any place, and any time. She thought that included time periods, too. This time, she prayed she was right instead of wrong.

"Jess, wait!" she cried, and reached out to yank the back of her brother's jacket. He jerked to a stop, then slowly turned to glare at her.

"What now, May Belle?" he asked, irritated. His brown-as-pansies eyes glowed with impatience.

May Belle yanked the chain over her head, almost choking herself in the process, and shoved it into his hands. "Take that, in case you need me while you're there."

The impatience in Jess's eyes dimmed slightly as confusion began to take over. He glanced from her to the locket in his hand and back again, saying, "What? Isn't this the locket you use to communicate with your advisor, Foster? Why do you want me to have it?"

"So I can communicate with you if I need to," she said, but she could see the skepticism on his face and her tone grew more urgent. "Jess, I know you don't think anything bad will happen, but I have a bad feeling about this and it would make me feel better if you took it. Please. For me."

He seemed about to protest, but he caught the look of stubborn determination on her face, and decided to drop it. His sister was not one to give up easily, and Jess didn't really have time to get into a fight with her over a silly locket. So, he slipped the chain over his head and tucked the charm on the end into his shirt.

"There, are you happy?" he asked, feigning grumpiness. In truth, he was a little relieved that he had a way contact May Belle. If something did go wrong, the locket could come in handy.

The girl nodded, and they began walking again. After five minutes, they reached the clearing. Nerida was already there, waiting for them.

**A/N: I know it's short and I'm sorry for that, but I wanted to get the story started again as soon as possible. I should have another chapter up shortly, but no promises. I'm helping my brother decorate my church for VBS this week and I get my braces off on Thursday, so that takes away a lot of writing time. I'll try my best though!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! **


	5. The Spell Part 1: The Evil Spell

**A/N: Chapter five! Hope you like it!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing!**

Chapter Five: The Evil Spell

Jess's PoV

Jess made his way towards the waiting faery standing in the middle of the clearing, in front of the treehouse.

"Lord King," Nerida greeted, "Are you ready?"

He nodded vigorously. Finally, after all these years, he would see Leslie again. His wish of going back and fixing his wrong was going to come true!

Jess was so caught up in his thoughts and elation that he didn't notice the way the faery's face flickered with maliciousness, or how she almost stalked towards him as if she were the predator and he the prey. Or that the faery hadn't seemed to notice his sister standing a little ways away, under the tree.

But May Belle did notice these things.

May Belle PoV

_This is really not good. _May Belle thought as she watched who she assumed was Nerida all but stalk towards her brother. The faery was about Jess's height, and wore a short dress the color of the Caribbean Sea. She had blue hair a shade darker than her dress. The tresses hung to the small of her back, and seemed to dance around her face, like fire. Her eyes, which were navy, glittered in much the same way as her hair, but, unlike her hair, they flickered with some unknown emotion when they passed over Jess. Resentment, maybe? May Belle couldn't tell, but whatever it was, she knew she didn't like it.

Jess, for his part, seemed to be too wrapped up in his thoughts to see the figure moving towards him. Luckily, Nerida did not see the young girl watching the proceedings. She readied herself to intervene when Nerida spoke.

"Alright, Lord King," she said. Her voice, like her fiery hair and eyes, danced on the wind. May Belle relaxed a little at the sound, but continued to watch the goings on. Nerida cupped her hands as if she was holding a wine glass, and a goblet appeared. The goblet was gold, with a wide cup and the neck was short and thick and tapered out into a disc so it could sit upright. The cup had jewels studded around the top, near the rim. It looked like pictures she had seen of the Holy Grail, and appeared to be full of a glowing liquid, but May Belle couldn't see inside of it to be sure.

She glanced at Jess. He was still wrapped up in his thoughts, and wasn't paying any attention what so ever to his surroundings. She returned her gaze to the faery. Nerida ran her fingers around the rim of the cup, chanting softly:

_Time is a ribbon, time is a string,_

_ It leisure's on with a gentle ebb and flow,_

_ But I wish to follow this ribbon quickly_

_ To a tomorrow unknown._

The eleven year old watched, fascinated, as the faery's fingertips began to glow like the substance in the goblet.

Nerida repeated this five times, and with each repetition her voice grew raspy and deep. It no longer danced on the wind. It sliced through it, leaving the clearing feeling empty and hollow. The sound created a hollow feeling within May Belle, too, and her earlier feeling of uneasiness grew.

**A/N: I know it's short. But I have found that I work better with short chapters, so I'm going to stick with that. Hopefully, they will be frequent short chapters. So please don't smite me! And I'm sorry if the chapters are a bit cliffy… Or a lot cliffy... Again, please don't smite me!**

**And a huge, colossal thank you to my Twin, for writing Nerida's spell, because I suck at poetry type things and making words flow. Thankfully, she doesn't and she is awesome enough to write that part for me haha**

**Review! Please! And tell me how I did with detail on the Detail Scale! (1-10, 1 being horrible, 5 being just right, and 10 being too much)**


	6. The Spell Part 2: Thoughts of You

**A/N: Okay, chapter six! Hope you like it! This is just a filler chapter on Jess's thoughts as Nerida prepares the spelled drink for him. YellowShirt37 mentioned that I didn't explain Jess's thoughts that well, and I have been obsessively listening to this song (Far Away by Nickelback) and it made me think of what Jess was supposed to be thinking of so deeply, and I decided to make it a chapter! This is a little Jess/Leslie, but just because of the nature of his thoughts.**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing!**

Chapter Six: Thoughts of You

Jess's PoV

Jess stared up at the canopy of tangled branches above his head. He was consumed by thoughts of his best friend. He was fast sinking into his own world, and he barely noted that May Belle was watching from under the treehouse, or that Nerida was slowly coming towards him.

He was pondering over Leslie, and why he had such a hard time getting over Leslie's death. Sure, she was his best only friend, but a person would think that after five years the pain of losing them would at least be bearable. But it wasn't—to the point that Jess sometimes felt like he couldn't breathe because of it. At night, he dreamed of her: Of how they used to be, how they could be now.

_Why?_ He asked himself. The part of his brain that was still in the real world registered that Nerida now held a golden cup resembling a wine glass and was speaking over it.

_Why, why, why? _He yelled furiously at himself. His sister's worries about him getting hurt, and the fact that she had given him her locket, had made him jittery and nervous. A part of him wanted to back out of going through with this, but that part was overruled by his overwhelming hunger to see Leslie again. But he wanted, no, _needed_, to know _why_ her death was like a fresh wound that was ripped open every single day, and _why_ he endangered himself just for the chance to have a glimpse of her pale blonde hair.

_You're going to save her from dying, numbskull. Not look at her hair._ He told himself. _The chance to _save_ her is why I have to do this._

_No, it's not, _a part of himself whispered back. _At least, that's not the only reason. _

Jess's eyes narrowed into slits and he glared up at the trees. _And what is the 'other reason'?_

_You love her._

The expression dropped from his face as quickly as someone would drop a hot pan after touching it without mitts. His heart started thumping, beating through his shirt, and he sucked in a breath, but didn't let it out again. He closed his pansy brown eyes, only to flash them back open when a voice spoke.

Nerida was holding out a vial on a string. It was blue, like her hair, and had a feather hanging off the top. It was closed with a cork. She had the cup in her other hand, and was staring at him intensely.

"Lord King, take this. It is the potion to bring you back to this time after your mission is complete," she said, thrusting it into his hands. "You must drink the entire vial before you get back, and you must do so before twenty-four hours is up." Jess took it, and slipped it over his head like a robot. He was only half there. The other half was coming to a stunning, but inevitable, realization: He was in love with Leslie Burke.

He heard himself ask, "What is this stuff?" But it sounded far away, as if through a tunnel.

"It is nectar, a common faery drink. However, when nectar is spelled, it will increase faery magic tenfold. Now, drink of this."

Nerida was now offering him the cup—Leslie would call it a goblet—and telling him to drink six sips from it. She proffered the goblet, and he took it from her, still robot-like.

Jess Aarons was in love with Leslie Burke.

Jess closed the distance between the drink and his lips. He swallowed six times. Nerida took the goblet back.

Jesse Oliver Aarons, Jr. was in love with Leslie Burke.

He chanted in his head, _I love you, Leslie. I love you. I love you. I love you, _as the spell began to take hold of his body.

The drink seemed to spread from his throat to his fingertips, searing its way down to his toes. The fire in his veins intensified, but not to the point where he couldn't handle it. The wind picked up, circling around him whipping his clothes. The faery stepped back as the wind lifted him off his feet. He felt a tug in his navel, and suddenly the buffeting gusts stopped. Jess's eyes were closed once more, and he dropped to the ground, limp.

Groaning, he sat up, and looked around.

Nerida and May Belle were gone, and the treehouse looked like it had in its early days, right after he and Leslie had fixed it up. He stood, but frowned when everything seemed… _shorter_, somehow. He glanced down. _Oh._ Nerida had said that he would be ten again when he came back. Wow, he hadn't realized how much he'd grown.

His musings about how young he looked were stopped, however, when a girl's voice called from the treehouse, "Jess! Jess, where are you?"

His heart swelled.

_Leslie._

**A/N: Enter Leslie. Ha, I had not planned for her to come in yet, just for him to realize he was in love with her and then end the chapter the same place chapter five did, but I like how this turned out. And the next chapter should go back to Nerida and May Belle and explain what the spell looked like to them and what happened after Jess disappeared, so don't worry. All will be explained! **


	7. The Spell Part 3: Plots

**A/N: Wow! Chapter seven already! I can't believe it! Anyway, this chapter should explain at least a little bit more about the spell. Hopefully.**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing!**

Chapter Seven: Disappearing

May Belle's PoV

May Belle watched Nerida hand her semi-aware fifteen year old brother the blue vial. The feather swung from the top as Jess slipped it around his neck.

"What is this stuff?" he asked. His voice sounded strange, as if he was at one end of a tunnel, and she another.

He didn't seem to really pay attention as Nerida explained, "It is nectar, a common faery drink. However, when nectar is spelled, it will increase faery magic tenfold. Now, drink of this."

Jess mumbled something that sounded like 'alright.' But anybody could tell that he was slipping back into whatever thoughts he was having at the moment. Nerida scowled, and her eyes flashed. May Belle's own eyes narrowed as she watched the faery. She hoped her locket would work once Jess was in the past, and that he had enough sense not to drink whatever was in that vial.

"Lord King, drink this. Take six sips, then the spell will begin to take hold," Nerida insisted. May Belle's clueless brother realized that he was being given an order, and it took a minute for him to process it. Then he took the goblet and brought it to his mouth. He swallowed six times.

The effect was immediate. The wind picked up, whipping around us and ruffling our clothes. Jess had shut his eyes tightly, like he was concentrating hard. The leaves on the forest floor whipped around, forming a sort of circle around Jess. Nerida backed up, smiling broadly. The gale-force gusts picked May Belle's brother up off his feet. He was suspended in mid air for a few seconds, then the leaves closed in on him, surrounding him and obscuring him from view. Suddenly, it stopped, and the leaves fell to the ground. Jess was gone.

It had worked.

Nerida still had not noticed May Belle, and the girl shrunk back, behind the trunk of the tree supporting the treehouse. The faery walked to where Jess had disappeared.

Nerida grinned, and murmured, "Yes! The great king is out of the way, and I already took c are of the queen years ago when she fell into my domain. Now, for that little wimp who calls herself a queen…"

May Belle gasped. Nerida had killed Leslie! And she had done this to Jess on purpose. There was probably no way for her brother to get back—whatever was in that vial would probably kill him, and the Nerida of that time period would make sure Leslie died in the creek. Plus, the treacherous thing was now plotting to kill May Belle herself!

She really needed to find Foster.

May Belle glanced once at the river spirit, who was still muttering to herself, and then ran off into the woods in search of her most trusted advisor and friend.

**A/N: Gods! These chapters never turn out how I plan! Oh well. Hopefully, the differences make it better, not worse. I'd love to know what you readers think! Hint, hint **


	8. Home

**A/N: Gods, it's been so long since I updated! I'm sorry! Anyway, here's chapter eight! **

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing!**

Chapter Eight: Home

Jess's PoV

Jess scrambled up to the treehouse, and stopped in his tracks. Leslie was sitting on the make-shift porch, in front of the bench she had made. She had a raincoat on, with her trademark calf-high converse boots. Her blue-green eyes shown in the afternoon light, as did her short blonde hair. She was grinning from ear to ear as she looked at him. Prince Terrien was sprawled across her lap.

"Jesse Oliver Aarons, Jr. where did you go?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Jess saw his father's keys sitting next to her. He couldn't stop staring at her. He just stood there, taking her in. his mind was blank, and coherent thoughts eluded him.

Leslie waved a hand in front of his face. "Jess? Jess, yoo hoo, Jess," she said in a sing song-y way. PT jumped up, and ran to him, barking. Jess absently petted the dog, but he didn't take his eyes off of the girl.

"Jess, what are you staring at?" she asked, and her smile faltered. He shook his head, snapping himself out of his reverie. He sat down next her, PT settling across both of their laps, and a feeling of being home swept over him. He reveled in it, and grabbed a cookie from the pack sitting next to her.

"So, where'd you go?" Leslie asked him as she, too, grabbed a cookie. The cookies were two cookies with filling sandwiched between them. Leslie pulled them apart, and licked the filling, scraping it from the other cookie with her teeth.

"I… Uh… Thought I heard something," Jess came up with on the spot. Leslie nodded, accepting this, and he sighed in relief. He leaned forward to get another cookie, and something fell out of his pocket.

"What's that?" the girl next to him snatched the thing out of the air.

Jess was just as baffled as she was and shrugged. Leslie examined it, and they realized it was a folded piece of paper. _Strange,_ Jess thought, _I don't remember—_

But he did remember, as Leslie opened the paper, what it was. In class earlier that day, Jess had been bored and had made a list of the events of the day Leslie died. The bell had rung just as he was finishing and he had hurriedly folded and crammed the list into his pocket.

Jess's eyes widened as Leslie read the paper. The girl just sat there for a minute, staring at it, then she looked up at him.

"What is this?" she asked again. Jess sighed, and racked his brain for something to say, but came up with nothing. There was nothing he could say to cover up the fact that the list his best friend was holding predicted her death. The earlier feeling of being home was still there, but was being overwhelmed by a more urgent feeling of awkwardness and panic.

"Uh… It's… uh…" he fumbled.

Leslie glared. Her tone was menacing. "Jess, don't even try to lie to me. What is this?"

"It's…" he mumbled, "It's… what will happen tomorrow."

"What? What are you talking about?"

Jess looked at the sky, and then at her in despair. This was certainly not how he expected his reunion with Leslie to be. "Leslie… I…"

He was reluctant to tell her. Plus, he didn't know how to tell her in a way to make her believe him. The story sounded farfetched even to him, and he was the one who it had happened to. Leslie waited patiently for him to continue.

"I…"

"Yes?"

"Uh…"

"Come on, Jess, spit it out!"

He drew a deep breath and said in a rush, "I'm-from-five-years-in-the-future,-trying-to-save-you. Tomorrow,-I'm-supposed-to-go-with-Miss-Edmunds-to-the-museum-and-you-try-to-come-here,-but-the-rope-breaks-and-you-drown-in-the-creek."

She just stared at him like he was crazy. He sounded crazy. But, no matter what you said about Leslie Burke, it could not be said that she didn't have an open mind. She had created an entire world, for crying out loud!

"Alright, Jess, start from the beginning," she said slowly.

"I'm from five years in the future, sent here by the faery that lives in the creek to save you. Tomorrow, I'm supposed to go with Miss Edmunds to the art museum in DC, and, while I'm there, you try to cross on the enchanted rope and it breaks. You hit your head, and drown."

Leslie tucked her hair behind her ears. She was speechless, which was just as good because Jess couldn't stop talking.

"Oh, God, Leslie, those five years were horrible without you. I was depressed, and then someone moved in next door, and I broke down. I broke down like I hadn't ever before, except for the day after you died. I ran straight here, and sat underneath this tree, sobbing. A faery by the name of Nerida found me and told me she could send me back, and I could save you. I jumped at the chance. I got May Belle to cover for me at home, but she seems to think this faery is evil, and didn't want me to do it. But I had to. I had to try."

He looked at Leslie. She was shaking her head.

"Jess," she said, laying a hand on his cheek, "I appreciate the gesture, but you shouldn't have put yourself in danger like this. May Belle is smart, and you short have listened to her."

His brow furrowed. "So… you believe me?"

The girl nodded. "I believe you."

"Why? I mean, I sound like a nut job!"

She chuckled. He smiled, hearing the sound. He loved that sound, and after not hearing it for five years, it brought that sense of home back to the surface. "I can tell when you're lying, Jess. And you weren't lying… But, do you have any way to get back?"

He pulled the blue, feathered vial from under his shirt. "Nerida gave me this—"

"Don't use it."

"What?" He was confused. "Why not?"

"Just don't. I agree with May Belle."

"Okay… Ow!" Jess muttered, dropping the vial. It swung from his neck. A circle on his abdomen began to burn and glow gold. He pulled it out. May Belle's locket. She had said it would grow warm and glow when the other locket was being used to contact this one. She and Foster must be trying to contact him.

Jess fumbled with the clasp to open the burning locket. It snapped open to reveal a picture of his sister and her advisor Foster.

**A/N: So Leslie knows! And the lockets work! Hope you liked that chapter! I had trouble writing the parts where Jess is explaining to Leslie… Your thoughts?**


	9. Complications

**A/N: Chapter 9! **

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing!**

Chapter Nine: Complications

May Belle's PoV

May Belle ran through the woods until she got to the small fortress Jess had helped her build a few years ago. Foster was inside, waiting.

"May Belle!" he said, smiling and waving to her. But after seeing the distressed look on her face, he rushed out to meet her. He had thick brown hair the color of wood bark. His eyes were the same color, as were most of his clothes. He was wearing a white cotton shirt, topped with a tree-bark-brown leather jerkin, and the same color loose cotton pants.

The fortress was like the treehouse, built in the same design, but out of branches and vines. It had windows, and even a door.

Foster grabbed her shoulders to stop her. "May Belle, what is wrong?"

She gasped, and, in a rush, told him everything that had happened, and what she'd overheard just a minute ago. Foster listened quietly. She could practically see the gears churning in his head.

"Well, first things first, we must see if the locket will work," he said. That was the thing with Foster. He never wasted time, and he always talked really precisely. May Belle crowded in close to be seen in the locket, and her friend popped open the clasp.

After a minute, Jess and Leslie's faces appeared a face on the piece of jewelry.

"Leslie!" May Belle cried in astonishment. "Oh my gosh, Leslie!"

**Jess's PoV**

"Well, I'm glad to know you care about me, too, May Belle," Jess said with mock bitterness. He knew the feeling his little sister must be having about then. That feeling of overwhelming happiness, and that everything is right in the world…

Jess smiled as Leslie punched him playfully in the shoulder.

"Hey, May Belle!" she said, turning her attention back to the locket. She was grinning from ear to ear. "Long time, no see, from what your brother says. Man, you have grown!"

May Belle blushed. "Yeah," she said awkwardly. She turned to her brother, "Jess, I was right. After you disappeared, Nerida started ranting to herself. She's nuts! And she's plotting to kill you, me, all of us!"

Jess's eyes widened. So much for enjoying getting Leslie back. "Whoa, May Belle. Slow down. Now, start at the beginning."

His sister took a deep breath, and said, "Nerida is crazy. After you disappeared, she still hadn't noticed me, so I hid behind the trunk of the treehouse tree—"

"The treehouse is still there?" Leslie exclaimed. She was grinning from ear to ear in excitement at the thought that her and Jess's retreat would still be there in five years. She still was having trouble with her best friend's confession that she was supposed to die tomorrow, but she refused to think about that.

"Yeah, Les, and now there's a bridge, and—"

"Lord King, I hate to interrupt you, but this is of the utmost importance," Foster cut in. Jess and Leslie blushed, and shut their mouths.

"As I was saying," May Belle huffed, "I hid behind the tree trunk as she started talking to herself. She was saying that now the 'great king' was out of the way, and that she had already gotten rid of the queen years ago. And that now all she had to do was… get rid of… me."

Her voice went quiet at the end. Rage was rushing through Jess. That stupid faery! She was the one responsible for killing Leslie! He wanted to rip her apart.

"May Belle," Leslie said, breaking Jess out of his reverie. "You need to watch your back. And we need to figure out a way to get Jess back."

Foster looked thoughtful, and Jess asked him, "Foster? You know anything?"

"Well…" he said slowly, "I could use the same spell Nerida did to send you to that time period, Lord King, but for that to work you would need to drink nectar, like before."

"Is there anything else? Anything at all?"

"The queen of the faeries, Islanzadi, would be able to bring you back without the nectar. I shall talk to her," he said, rubbing his chin in thought. **(A/N: I don't own the name of the queen of the faeries, either. That would belong to Christopher Paolini, author of the Inheritance Cycle. Love those books!)**

"Thank you, Foster," Jess said. He glanced at Leslie, and continued, "I appreciate it. For now, I am going focus on the reason I came back in the first place."

May Belle grinned, opening her mouth to sing, but Foster put his hand over it. He, too, was smiling, but he knew better than to goad the king. "Alright, Lord King. I shall see what I can do in the way of getting you back."

Leslie, who had been quiet, spoke up now. "And, Foster, is it?" He nodded, and she said, "Watch out for May Belle. I don't trust this Nerida faery."

Foster nodded gravely. "I shall do that as well, Lady Queen."

"Alright, I have to get home," May Belle said, "Bye, Jess. Great to see you, Lelsie!"

May Belle shut the locket, and the golden liquid on the inside went blank. Jess shut his own locket.

Leslie, who was watching him, said, "Jess?"

"Yeah, Les?"

"Tell me about Terabithia. You know, five years from now," she said, then leaned against the treehouse like before, and gazed up at the sky.

Jess did the same. "Well, Leslie, it's pretty much the same. But there's touches of May Belle everywhere. And, you know, you're not there, which puts a damper on things."

Leslie grinned. She closed her eyes. She put her head against Jess's shoulder

"I hope this plan works, Jess," she murmured.

"Me, too, Leslie. Me, too," he said. He began stroking her hair and thinking about the events of the past few days.

**A/N: And Fade out! Okay, I am sooooooooooooooooo sorry that I haven't updated in soooooooo long! I have another story that I have been focusing on, called Percy Jackson and the Pearls of Persephone! Check it out! If you haven't read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, then forget fanfiction, and go to a book store immediately! If you don't, a Kindly One will become your math teacher and attack you!**

**Anyway, I have recently started a blog (link on my profile) and I am using it to let people know the working status' of my stories, such as when I am planning on updating, what I'm working on, what I need advice on, etc. That way I don't have to use author's notes on here and make you think there is an update.**

**So, review! I do so love reviews!**


	10. The Faery Queen

**A/N: So sorry I haven't updated in so long! I really don't have an excuse, so I shall not give you one. Okay, I'll shut up and let you read!**

**DISCLAIMER: If I owned any of this, why the hell would I be writing about on FanFiction? I mean, seriously…**

Chapter Ten: The Faery Queen

Jess's POV

"Hey!" Leslie exclaimed, sitting up. She put a hand to her head, looking up at the sky. More raindrops fell from the dark clouds.

"We'd better go," Jess said, standing. He helped her stand too before grabbing PT and heading down the ladder. The rain picked up, pounding down on their shoulders as they went.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Jess?" Leslie asked when they reached the end of her drive way. She went forward to grab PT from Jess's arms. He handed the squirming dog to her, their arms brushing through her coat. Jess's breath hitched. She was really here, in the flesh. He could hardly believe it.

"Yes, Leslie, most definitely," he said. He would certainly see her tomorrow. In fact, he wouldn't let her out of his sight tomorrow.

She smiled. "Great! Bye!"

She turned to leave, but Jess said, "Leslie, I—"

She stopped, spinning to look at him again. Her blue-green eyes were questioning.

He was about to say _Leslie, I love you_, but had caught himself. _Maybe I shouldn't say that…_ Jess thought. So he just shook his head, smiled, and waved good-bye. Leslie grinned wide back at him, waved, then continued to her house.

Jess watched her, ecstatic. She was back! She was going to live!

He exalted the entire way to his home, and, when he got there and slammed the keys on the table next to his dad's elbow just as he had done that same day five years before, the sour look on his face did nothing to reflect the way he was really feeling.

May Belle's POV

May Belle followed Foster into the wood woven throne room of the faeries. Her eyes widened at the intricate roots, twisted around each other, to create the walls. The entire faery city was done this way, and May Belle found it fascinating. If the reason for being here weren't so dire, she would have been _ooh_-ing and _ahh_-ing like mad right now.

"Lady Queen, let me do the talking," Foster whispered to her as they approached the throne. A courtly faery was sitting atop it, and looked down her nose into their eyes. She was wearing an elegant dress of woven fabric and leaf material, and her long black hair was streaked with sparkling yellow strands that could only be described as shafts of sunlight.

"Foster, Lady Queen," she said. Her voice was cool. May Belle stopped gawking at the room and gawked at her instead. Foster bowed, motioning for May Belle to do the same.

"My Lady," Foster murmured, still bowed over. May Belle couldn't tell if she was supposed to stand or night, so she watched Foster. He stayed bowed over.

"Rise," the faery queen said. They rose.

"How can I help you, Foster, Lady Queen?"

Foster stepped forward. "My Lady, I have a request to ask. One that is very important."

"Yes?"

"The Lord King has been tricked by the water faery Nerida into going back in time to rescue Leslie. May Belle heard her talking about it, and she is responsible for killing Leslie. After she got rid of Jess, she planned on going after May Belle."

Queen Islanzadì switched her gaze to regard May Belle. May Belle crossed her fingers behind her back. She, Jess, and Leslie might be the rulers of Terabithia but the faery queen didn't have to help them.

"And what can I do for you?" Queen Islanzadì asked. Her gaze was still fixed on May Belle, so she answered.

"Well… We need help getting Jess back."

**A/N: Sorry it's so short, but I should be updating again soon! That's not a promise, but I really hope I will be! **

**Review, please! Let me know how you like the way the plot is going and what I can improve on! **


	11. Miss Edmonds

**A/N: Okay, I am proud of myself cause I am updating this so much right now. It helps that I am watching the movie as I write this. So, if you're confused cause I never update this much, it's okay. Just go back and read chapter ten first.**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing! If I did, it would have gone much differently!**

Chapter Eleven: Miss Edmonds

Jess POV

The moment he woke up in the morning, Jess went to see Leslie. He refused to let her out of his sight. It kept repeating like a mantra in his head:

_Today's the day she dies._

So, even though it was nine in the morning on a Saturday, Jess went to Leslie's house. He knocked on the door, and stepped back to wait.

Surprisingly, Leslie opened it a few minutes later, PT behind her. She looked haggard, like she hadn't slept, and her short blonde locks were bedraggled.

"Leslie, you look horrible," Jess said, stepping inside the house. The sun caught on the walls of the Gold Room behind her, setting it on fire, just like Leslie's mom wanted. The fire caught on Leslie's hair, making it shine bright blonde.

"Gee, thanks, Jess," Leslie murmured, putting a self-concious hand to her hair and trying to smooth it down. Jess caught her hand.

"No, I don't care how you look. Miss Edmonds will invite me to the museum today, and I am not letting you out of my sight," Jess said, keeping hold of her hand, "So, you wanna come over to my house?"

Leslie grinned, but it didn't reach her eyes. She nodded, and told him to wait while she went to her room to change. PT stayed with him, licking his face and climbing over him. Jess scratched behind his ears, his fingers buried in the dog's scraggly fur.

"Alright, let's go!"

Leslie was back. She had run a brush through her hair, making it flip out at the bottom, and had put on her favorite t-shirt, one with music notes all over it. Her trademark Converse boots covered her feet. Jess had to smile at seeing them again.

As they walked back to his house, Jess asked, "Seriously, Les, did you sleep at all last night?"

Leslie pursed her lips, and murmured, "No. Jess, who could sleep after what you told me yesterday?"

Jess shrugged. If everything had gone according to plan, and Nerida wasn't a crazed lunatic working for the Dark Master, then Leslie wouldn't have found out at all. They were in his yard now.

"Les—"

"Jess! Jess!"

They both looked up as May Belle, the six year old version, came running out of the house, holding the phone.

She handed it to him, saying in a sing-song way, "It's your girlfriend!"

"She's not my girlfriend," Jess said indignantly. He remembered how he had thought it was Leslie that day. He wished it had been. "Hello?"

"Jess, I know it's a Saturday, but it's your teacher, Miss Edmonds," Miss Edmonds said, "I was planning on taking my nephews into the city, to the museum, but my sister changed plans last minute. And I was wondering if you'd like to go?"

Jess smiled. "Sure, I'll have to ask my mom, but… Can Leslie come, too?"

"Oh, of course!" Miss Edmonds sounded ecstatic, "The more, the merrier!"

Jess grinned, then held the phone away from his ear to look at Leslie. "You can come, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I cleared it with my parents yesterday, like you said."

He nodded. Jess, too, had asked his mom last night about the museum trip.

"Miss Edmonds? Yeah, we can go," Jess said into the phone.

"Great! I'll pick you guys up in a few!"

Jess hung up, and handed the phone back to May Belle. She skipped off, back inside.

"Leslie," Jess said to his best friend, "Try to forget about what today's supposed to be, okay? Just enjoy it."

She nodded again, smiling brightly. This time, it did reach her eyes.

"Oh, Jess, you'll love the museum!" she cried as an off-white station wagon pulled onto their dirt road. Jess and Leslie watched it, grinning like there was no tomorrow. But they both knew there definitely was a tomorrow, and they had anything to do with it, it would be better than the last time Jess lived it.

**A/N: WOO! Two updates in one day! I know, shocking isn't it? Well, I'm sorry to say that this story is winding to a close. Not exactly sure how many more chapters there'll be, but there isn't that much left to this.**

**Anyway, review! Please and thank you!**


	12. The Museum

**A/N: Well, here's the next chapter to Bridge to the Past. I meant what I said about this story winding to a close, though I don't know how many mire chapters. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bridge to Terabithia, I just love it to death! (No, really, I do. The other day I watching the movie, and I almost cried cause I thought the disc was broken…)**

Chapter Twelve: The Museum

Jess POV

Miss Edmonds played the same songs in her car that she sang with them in class. Jess remembered the first day of school after Leslie had died.

_I'm gonna get outta here someday_.

Those lyrics had never rang so true to him. The smile slipped off of his face as he thought of it. Leslie, noticing his discomfort, clasped his hand. She grinned at him, and he remembered why he was here, back in fifth grade, in the first place: To save the best thing that had ever happened to him.

They arrived at the museum soon enough, and Miss Edmonds and Leslie showed Jess the wonders of the museum. They laughed and chattered while they looked, and Jess marveled at it all just like the first time he'd been here. But he didn't let himself dwell on the first time too long, or he'd lose the happy feeling he had.

In the late afternoon, they all sat down for a cup of tea and lunch.

"Jess," Miss Edmonds said as she stirred her tea, "I can't believe you've never been to a museum."

Jess shook his head, glancing at Leslie. The blonde grinned at him briefly before looking back at their teacher.

"I couldn't either, Miss Edmonds," she said, "I mean, he loves to draw so much you'd think he'd have been a million times."

Miss Edmonds swallowed her sip of tea and said earnestly to Leslie, "Oh, I know! And he's so good!"

Leslie nodded enthusiastically. Jess rolled his eyes, and silence fell on the three.

After a minute, their teacher said, "Nice weather out. It's been raining so much lately I was beginning to think it was like that Japanese myth where the sun goes into a cave and vows never to come out!"

Jess and Leslie glanced at each other and Jess said, "Wow, you know about everything."

He remembered how he'd said that exact sentence to her originally. And he exact answer:

"Oh, not by a longshot. But I do try to keep an open mind, and you'd be surprised what finds its way in."

Jess glanced at Leslie, who was watching him with a smug look that said, _See? I told you!_

He grinned and said, "Leslie says that. She constantly tells me to keep my mind wide open."

Miss Edmonds turned to Leslie and told her, "You, dear, are right. Minds like yours wide open, you could create a whole new world."

May Belle's POV

_Come on, Jess, answer! _May Belle thought as she stared earnestly into the little golden locket in her hands.

She and Foster had just finished talking to the faery queen. Izlanzadì had agreed to help them, but time was of the essence. She was now preparing the things needed for the spell to bring Jess back.

"May Belle?"

May Belle came back to the present. "Jess!"

"Yes?" her brother said. His freckled fifth grade face filled the locket and his brown eyes looked worried.

"How's Leslie?" she asked, immediately thinking something was wrong.

"Oh, Leslie's fine! But we're at the museum right now, and I'm in the mens' room, so hurry up!"

May Belle scowled. "Alright, Mr. Ungrateful! Foster and I got the Queen's help. She's preparing the spell as we speak. But, Jess, she says for it to work we need to perform it soon. _Very _soon."

Her brother's brown eyes widened. "How soon is very soon?"

May Belle took a deep breath. "One hour."

**A/N: I can't believe this is chapter twelve. I update so infrequently it seems like it should be much less. Oh well… Review! **


	13. Making a Dash for It

**A/N: Wow, this is a quick update for me. Am I the only one who's proud of me?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bridge to Terabithia**

Chapter Thirteen: Making a Dash for It

Jess POV

After talking to May Belle, Jess rushed back to the table. Leslie and Miss Edmonds sat talking when he approached.

"Um, Miss Edmonds, my mom told me I needed to be home in an hour," he told Miss Edmonds. She smiled at Jess, then at Leslie.

"Well, then, we'd better get going, shan't we?"

Miss Edmonds got them home in record timing. They had fifteen minutes to spare, and were out of her Volkswagen as soon as it stopped at their street.

Jess and Leslie both called a hasty, "Thank you!" over their shoulders as they dashed back to Terabithia. Jess's locket started to get hot as they crossed the bridge.

He popped it open. "Yes?"

"Are you home yet?" his sister demanded.

"Yes, we're in Terabithia," Jess said, following Leslie to the treehouse.

"Okay. Go to the treehouse, and stand under the tree," May Belle instructed. Jess grabbed Leslie's hand and pulled her with him under the bows.

"Alright. Islanzadì is starting the spell. You'll be home in a few minutes, Jess. And Leslie, too."

**A/N: Really short, I know. But I haven't worked out exactly how the spell will work across time yet, I'm thinking the lockets will act as a liaison between times. Suggestions?**

**As always, review!**


	14. The End

**A/N: I've already updated tonight, and it's 2 in the morning, but I want to get this out and finished before it slips away. So enjoy, and know that this is the last chapter of Bridge to the Past! I have enjoyed writing it a lot, and hope you enjoyed reading it as much!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bridge to Terabithia, though I do believe it is a timeless story.**

Chapter Fourteen: The End

Jess's POV

"Jess, the Queen said to stay with you through the necklaces," May Belle said. "She says she's going to use the connection the necklaces have through time to work the spell."

"Alright, May Belle," Jess said, glancing at Leslie. To her, he said, "Don't worry, Les. The spell isn't painful or anything. You just feel dizzy."

"Jess, she's starting the spell," May Belle's voice came through the locket, as did the murmuring of another, regal voice. Queen Islanzadì.

Jess and Leslie started to feel a little weightless, and non-existent wind began to lap at their clothes. Their fingers linked at the spell slowly took effect. As before, the wind lifted the pair into the sky.

"Jess!" Leslie's voice was scared and worried. Jess rubbed soothing circles into the back of her hand.

"It's alright, Leslie!" he said over the noise. "This is supposed to happen!"

May Belle's voice floated through the locket again, "Jess! Leslie! Is the spell working?"

"Yes!" they both cried as they began to spin in the air. The sensation that they were being sucked through a very tiny hole in thin air by their feet washed over them.

May Belle's voice saying, "See you in a few, guys." was the last thing they heard before unconsciousness over took them both.

**May Belle's POV**

The sight of her brother and Leslie being seemingly sucked through a microscopic hole in thin air, unconscious, was the last thing May Belle expected to see that night.

But the sight of their intertwined fingers made her smile.

"They will be unconscious for a few minutes," Queen Islanzadì told her and Foster.

Foster stepped forward and bowed to his Queen. "Thank you, My Lady, a million times, thank you."

The Faery Queen inclined her head, but a rustling in the woods caught the three's attention. Nerida stepped from the bushes surrounding the little treehouse's clearing.

May Belle glared at the blue faery. "You have no right to be here. Be gone," she said. Foster shifted towards Jess and Leslie, who were still unconscious on the forest floor. They both looked fifteen, for the first time for Leslie.

Nerida sneered at May Belle. "I'm not scared of you, runt."

Islanzadì stepped forward. "Then maybe you are scared of me, instead."

Her tone was menacing, and Nerida shrank but stood her ground anyway.

"No, I am not… Mother."

Mother? May Belle watched the Faery Queen flinch when Nerida said that. Nerida was Islanzadì's daughter?

"You heard the young Lady Queen, Daughter. You are not welcome," Islanzadì said. Nerida took a step towards both of them. May Belle glared harder, but the water faery didn't even glance her way again.

It was a silent stare down between mother and daughter. It felt like forever stretched between the two, but really barely a minute passed.

Suddenly, Nerida lunged forward, grabbed May Belle, and pressed a dagger to her throat. May Belle screamed.

"Take a step towards me, and the girl dies," Nerida said, glancing between the four conscious and unconscious faces.

Islanzadì _tsk-tsk_-ed at her daughter, and pointed the scepter she had used to finish the spell for Jess and Leslie at Nerida. The water faery's eyes widened.

"You wouldn't," she said, pressing the knife harder to May Belle's throat. The girl whimpered as a trickle of blood rolled down the blade. Nerida's eyes were wide with fear now, and they darted around her, looking for an escape route.

"Yes, I would." Islanzadì said, "You made a horrible choice the day you joined the Dark Master. I won't stand for you to ruin all these children have done for Terabithia. Believe me, I will do it."

The Queen shifted towards her daughter. Nerida, now terrified, pushed May Belle away and rushed off into the trees. The Queen watched her go.

"We have to go after her," May Belle said. Her voice was hoarse. "She's still a threat."

"We will," the Faery Queen assured her, "But not now. Now, go attend to your brother and his friend. I shall return to my palace to gather a search party to send out after my daughter."

May Belle started to say something, but a groan form the ground cut her off, and she rushed to her brother's side. When she looked up again, the Faery Queen was gone.

Foster was gently shaking Leslie, and the girl stirred. Jess opened his eyes.

"It worked?" he rasped. May Belle nodded.

Jess's brown eyes squinted. "May… Your neck is bleeding…"

She put a hand to the small drop of blood left from Nerida's knife. Shrugging, she murmured, "I'll tell you later. What you need to know now is that the Faery Queen is sending a search party for Nerida, and you and Leslie are home, safe."

Jess's eyes widened. He sat up, blinking at the dizziness, and turned to Leslie. She was grinning like an idiot up at him.

For a minute, they just stared at each other. Later, they would find that by saving Leslie, Jess had altered the future. Leslie didn't die, so the Burkes never moved. Leslie would fit right in in this time, but there was a lot for her, and Jess, May Belle, and Foster, to learn about the changes the future had.

"You did it, Jess," Leslie said from her spot on the forest floor in Terabithia, "You saved me."

**A/N: Alright! The End! Hope you liked, enjoyed, all that jazz, and I hope no questions were left unanswered. I tried to add anything in that last long paragraph that I knew I wasn't going to cover in a chapter or anything so no loose ends were left in reference to Leslie coming back. **

**Anyway, thanks for reading, I really enjoyed writing this, and I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did! **

**(If you did, please drop me a review and tell me!)**


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